Pete Hegseth, the US Secretary of War, has announced that major news organisations will lose their Pentagon press passes unless they agree to a new compliance policy that critics say violates the First Amendment. The policy requires journalists to sign an agreement acknowledging that unauthorised disclosures by military personnel are prohibited, and that asking for such information could lead to revocation of press credentials.
The Daily Mail, CNN, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and The Atlantic are among outlets that have refused to sign. The Associated Press, Reuters, and Newsmax have also declined. The Pentagon Press Association described the policy as conveying 'an unprecedented message of intimidation'.
Under the new rules, journalists will be barred from large areas of the Pentagon without an escort, and press passes can be revoked for requesting information not approved for release by the Secretary of War. Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell defended the policy, stating it establishes 'common sense media procedures' and that 'Pentagon access is a privilege, not a right'.
Critics argue the policy is an overreach, with Yale University's David Schulz saying signing the statement would imply that reporting unauthorised information harms national security, which he called 'simply not true'. The move follows reports of Hegseth's increasing paranoia and a previous security breach in March.
